Sim City 4 Profitible City Guide.

[SlyDave]

Not really LAN Software but so many people have asked me how to do it I felt it was time I wrote a guide.

With that said I'm not writter, for one I'm dyslexic so I make mistakes without knowing I've made them (even if I proof read) Also my spelling sucks (regardless of the fact I'm dyslexsic) and most frenchmen have better grammar then me. Still I do try!

Also please note this is a GUIDE, in all sense of the word. This guide is how I do things, they are not the only way it can be done, either are they probaly the best way. but its a way and it works. I just hope you find it useful.

[SlyDave]

So its a city yeh be wanting to be build then? And you want to make a profit? That be a mighty tall order, but I think we can work something out.

Now to select somewhere to start, I would advise against selecting the biggest tile in the region as it'll make things difficult early on, so go for a small or medium tile, also having a coast line or river is really helpful for starting city, other than looking cool they provided an extra route by which people can enter your city (land/sea and later on air)

http://dave.thebiggame.org/sim city 4/guide/SimCity Guide - 2.jpg

This tile looks good, not to large and its got plenty of flat land a trees, why are trees important you say? Well they help keep air population down, and an new city is going to have lots of dirty industry and grubby people throwing litter onto the streets. For the purpose of this guide I've started the city away from the other cities and insured there are no connection (air ports, ferries, hi-ways) between them.

http://dave.thebiggame.org/sim city 4/guide/SimCity Guide - 8.jpg

Now we've selected our city, its time to name our self?s and the city, I've gone for my normal SimCity mayor name of Tureal, and the city is Shrewville because I lack an imagination, also as this is our first city I've keep the difficulty on easy, which will help us out a little by making tax money come in a little quicker and keep the cost of maintenance down.

[SlyDave]

http://dave.thebiggame.org/sim%20city%204/guide/SimCity%20Guide%20-%204.jpg

Well there it is, our land, here we are gods.

http://dave.thebiggame.org/sim%20city%204/guide/SimCity%20Guide%20-%2011.jpg

Like I said, we are gods, we control space and time, and for the practicality of building and being able to see what we are doing, I've forced the sun to be forever present, so bring your sun block.

Right, 4 screenshots later and we are actually ready to start doing stuff, First thing we need it power. There are lots of types of power we could go for but for starters cheapest is the best, damn the environment...

http://dave.thebiggame.org/sim%20city%204/guide/SimCity%20Guide%20-%2012.jpg

So we've gone for Coal, big black and dirty. Speaking of dirt, the Coal power station is the most heavy polluter and will cause huge amount of air pollution and up set lots of tree huggers, fortunately for us the pollution of power stations are radial, in that they pollute around them self?s, So if you stick the power station in a corners you pollute a much smaller area and keep more people happy, and the added bonus is you'll never lose your power supply in a larger city as it'll always be on the corner.

[SlyDave]

http://dave.thebiggame.org/sim city 4/guide/SimCity Guide - 13.jpg

Powers done, now we need something to power... Houses!

http://dave.thebiggame.org/sim city 4/guide/SimCity Guide - 15.jpg

I've stuck the houses on the other side of the river for 2 reasons, firstly it helps create a natural divide of industry/commercial and residence, making each zone or "district" easier to manage, and secondly because I like bridges. Now the tricky part is planning out houses correctly, as they need loads of road access, police, hospitals, fire stations, schools and everything else they can get there grubby little hands on. The most important thing of all these needs is road access, if you are wanting huge tower blocks you are going to need the roads to support them, which means forward planning, insuring there is enough room in which you can expand and build new roads where and when you need them.

http://dave.thebiggame.org/sim city 4/guide/SimCity Guide - 16.jpg

Our small housing district is planned out, now we need a hi-capacity road to link them up to there place we are going to place their jobs (Commercial and Industry) we could just use a street as they wont need anything larger for a while, but because we plan to have this particular residential district as hi-rises one day we need to think ahead and give them the capacity they will need.

[SlyDave]

http://dave.thebiggame.org/sim%20city%204/guide/SimCity%20Guide%20-%2017.jpg

Now we place our small Commercial area that one day will become downtown Shrewville, and to make things nice and symmetrical I?ve enlarged the residential area slightly.

http://dave.thebiggame.org/sim%20city%204/guide/SimCity%20Guide%20-%2018.jpg

There is no point having a big hi-capacity road if it doesn?t lead anything, also we do not have any links to the rest of the region, so how are people going to move into our city? (Very slowly if you don?t make a link!) We can now link our power station up to this road also, just so people can get there to work.

Before we lay down our industry district its time for some more forward planning, industry and commercial don?t like sharing space, so we need to great a divide, unfortunately we don?t have another river spare so will have to make do with a gap of open land (which in the real world is called a green belt). [Edit: Thanks to BoP for correcting my Geo]

http://dave.thebiggame.org/sim%20city%204/guide/SimCity%20Guide%20-%2019.jpg

Like we did with the road with for the residential area I?ve pre planned the commercial zone, but I?ve gone one step further and pre-laid the roads as a guideline for future building, it also allows us to see the boundary of the commercial district which will help us plan out industry district. Like so?

[SlyDave]

http://dave.thebiggame.org/sim city 4/guide/SimCity Guide - 21.jpg

We don?t need to worry about the pollution from the power station annoying the industry district as at the early stages we are only going to be attracting other dirty industry, not the hi-tech stuff we see in the future.

http://dave.thebiggame.org/sim city 4/guide/SimCity Guide - 22.jpg

Next stop distributing the power, fairly simple affair, insure each district is connected to either another district or a power pylon, which is in turn connected to a power station.

http://dave.thebiggame.org/sim city 4/guide/SimCity Guide - 23.jpg

http://dave.thebiggame.org/sim city 4/guide/SimCity Guide - 25.jpg

Bridges also relay power, as do all roads attached to a district. Unfortunately for our little residential area, they are 2 gird squares to far from the bridge to get power off of it, so we need to stick a tiny pylon between the two to get power.

[SlyDave]

http://dave.thebiggame.org/sim city 4/guide/SimCity Guide - 27.jpg

We got houses, we got industry, we got shops and offices, we got a power station and roads, we?ve got a connection to the out side world, its time to start it up!

http://dave.thebiggame.org/sim city 4/guide/SimCity Guide - 28.jpg

Sure enough within seconds industry starts to move into town.

http://dave.thebiggame.org/sim city 4/guide/SimCity Guide - 30.jpg

Shortly followed by residential and commercial.

http://dave.thebiggame.org/sim city 4/guide/SimCity Guide - 31.jpg

We let time tick past for a short while whilst entertaining our self?s by watching people drive to work, bless.

Very quickly the residential area will be full, but don?t be deceived! Because every lot of land has a house on it doesn?t mean its full and more lots are needed, this is one of the most common mistakes made!

[SlyDave]

http://dave.thebiggame.org/sim city 4/guide/SimCity Guide - 32.jpg

If we query a few houses we find that they are not even near full capacity. So we wait a little longer?

http://dave.thebiggame.org/sim city 4/guide/SimCity Guide - 33.jpg

Ohhh! The population continues to climb and we?ve done nothing but stand and stare, and now we?ve been rewarded a house, lovely. This building like most rewards makes people happy, so building it near its correct district will increase land value and morale, the higher these factor the better the house in the area and the more money they are willing to pay in tax.

http://dave.thebiggame.org/sim city 4/guide/SimCity Guide - 34.jpg

So I plonk our house down near the residential area, by the river, Now I didn?t stick it there just views and the short trip to work, I?ve stuck it there because if you remember we where 2 squares away from the bridge for it to provide power.

[SlyDave]

http://dave.thebiggame.org/sim%20city%204/guide/SimCity%20Guide%20-%2035.jpg

Now we aren?t and we can get rid of them ugly pylons, although the thought of the mains running under house are slightly worrying.

http://dave.thebiggame.org/sim%20city%204/guide/SimCity%20Guide%20-%2038.jpg

And there it is, our small residential area, with people still moving in, and look at the income! And you didn?t even notice the money you were making?

http://dave.thebiggame.org/sim%20city%204/guide/SimCity%20Guide%20-%2042.jpg

End of the first year, and a fully functional profitable town is yours. Easy when you know how eh?

Coming up next I?ll show you how to introduces a more civilized community by providing police/fire/hospitals and schooling without breaking the bank.

[BirdofPrey]

with a gap of open land (which in the real world is called a brown field site)
Actually its called a green belt, a brownfield site is one where old industrial land is used for other puropese (normally commercial, due to the risks left by the industry.) West Quay was a brownfield site!

[SlyDave]

Ah ok, smartarse :) I knew it was one of them, been a long time since GCSE Geography ;) besides Urban Development and Human Geo were my most hated parts, I am a man of the Rivers and Coast! :) I rock at Stream Ordering.

[Jynx]

You will have to bow to Bird's knowledge there Dave, dont feel bad, he did his GSCE's more recently than us :)

Have to say what a complete guide. You have given me enough info that I might even have another crack at this game n1 mate :)

[SHimmer45]

West Quay was a BrownField Site

It does not really suprise me cos there are some really WEIRD people and i seem to always bump into them damn it!

[BirdofPrey]

You will have to bow to Bird's knowledge there Dave, dont feel bad, he did his GSCE's more recently than usAnd an level and degree in it!

HUMAN GEOG RULES :)

[putty_thing]

wow.

so thats how you do it!

[BirdofPrey]

What play simcity well?

Simcity is used as a teaching tool thou!

Also shad u realise that normal simcity there is 1 difficulty setting, of 100,000 simolions, it must be the addon that has the diff settings!

[SlyDave]

Correct :) the version I am using is the latest version of Sim City 4: Rush Hour, which is basicly what Sim City 4 SHOULD have been, but instead they charged us an extra ?20 for it.. EA are con artists :mad:

[BirdofPrey]

Yeah how else has the sims had 7 addons!

[Jynx]

I hate to pick you up on that Bird but there are actually 8 Sims expansion packs plus the complilation Add-on packs and Sims2 on the way. I am sorry to mention it but I cant stand people getting the Sims wrong its just not right, not right at all...........i mean............its just not right.............................

[SlyDave]

You missed the Sims Online, which is out.

[RadicalRick]

Hey Shadow, thanks mate for going to the trouble to give us new developers a great example of how to develop our cities etc. It's been very helpful and I am looking forward to your next lesson and helpful hints. kudos from downunder, Rick
ps. How much can you tax the little bastards without getting tar & feathered? my monthly costs always seem to keep my bank balance low.. just like real life!

[SlyDave]

:)

9% tax is the highest it will go without effecting anything to much, 10% will you notice less demand and 11% you will notice negitive demard, anything above 11% and you'll just be forcing people to leave - higher the value the quicker they leave. but you should always try and keep the tax at the defualt value as later on you'll need that extra tax income (so don't become dependent on it now) if you find your self short on money, just build a nice low density housing district or two, most of your money will come from taxs, so don't feel bad about having a slum to earn you lots of money, its what happens in the real world :)

[tuBBymAN]

hehe good advice dave am trying your strategy but i can't seem to build two bridges next to each other still very nice idea i reckon finally someone creating a decent guide to SC4

[BirdofPrey]

lol u trying 2 build 2 road bridiges beside each other?

as thast not its a rush hour boulevard!

[SlyDave]

hehe good advice dave am trying your strategy but i can't seem to build two bridges next to each other still very nice idea i reckon finally someone creating a decent guide to SC4
If you don't have rush hour you wont beable to do what I have done with that big fat road, as its a Rush Hour Avernue or as BoP says boulevard :), so using 2 streets (black road) and forming two bridges is the second best you can do.

I urge that you get Rush Hour tho, as it adds all the things to the game that should have been there in the first place :) (like avernues, one way streets and the like)

[BirdofPrey]

Dude wheres the 2nd half!

[squid]

great man cant wait for next bit :)

[SlyDave]

mmm, renewed intrested, best reinstall Rush Hour :D

[putty_thing]

Hey Dave, I've *cough* aquired Sim City 4 Deluxe now and I can't see any pictars. Want to fix that? :p

[SlyDave]

:P I'll see what I can do for you. lol


Edit: Ta Dar :p

Best of luck to you, I'm so tempted to install this again now!

[putty_thing]

Hey Dave!

I started playing having read your guide, but not seen the pictars, putting the industrial a long way away from the residential and people were complaining about commute distance/time and moving out, help!!1

[SlyDave]

There is a maximum distance any sim will travel, diffirent types of transport will allow them to go further.

For example, if you connect two areas together with only a basic road, they wont travel very far on it, if you make that road a street, they'll go further, further yet on an avenue and of course furthest on a highway.

Buses, Trains, Mono-Rails and Subways also allow Sims to travel much further.

However there is a maximum distance any Sim is willing to travel, even if they have fast roads and high speed public transport, and so you must be reasonably close - after all would you want a 6 hour drive to work every day?

Good Luck.